PostHog vs Pirsch
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
PostHog
Open-source product analytics platform
VS
Pirsch
Privacy-friendly, cookie-free web analytics platform
| Feature | PostHog | Pirsch |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,548 | ★ 1,027 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude | Google Analytics |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is PostHog or Pirsch better?
Neither is universally better. PostHog has the larger community, while Pirsch is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are PostHog and Pirsch free and open-source?
Yes. PostHog is licensed under MIT and Pirsch under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PostHog and Pirsch with Docker?
PostHog: yes. Pirsch: yes.